11 juicy natural cleansers that won’t leave an oil slick on your face

October 14, 2016 by Sarita Coren

Oil cleansing has been all the rage in the natural world for years. But ever since we got over convincing everyone that it’s ok—even great—to use oils on your skin, I’ve had a little dilemma. I needed a break from oil cleansing. Gasp!

While oil and balm cleansing have their place in my “slow ritual” regimen, they do take longer to use than other cleansers and some of them take a little too long to remove completely—especially when they require following up with a second cleanse. Which is most of the time. Also to consider: those nights that I need to grab something quick and efficient so that I can scurry off to bed before collapsing on my bathroom floor.

That’s where this list of cleansers steps in. When you want the power of a thorough cleanser without the hassle of an evening spent removing it—ok, taking some poetic license here—then these options are for you. Whether you love the texture of a cream, a gel, an oil, a lightly sudsing formula, or even a balm, there’s something here for everyone, and you’ll find that these work for most skin types without disrupting the delicate moisture balance of your skin.

The key factors here are clean rinsing, efficacy, and powerful natural ingredients that lift dirt and grime while fortifying skin to receive the next layer of treatment products. Are you with me so far? Ok, good. Let’s dive right into the cleansers.

The pH balancing gels

Why is there so much talk about the skin’s pH? That’s because in a world where alkalinity is often favored over acidity (because most of us are overly acidic due to sugar, iodized salt, wheat, coffee, meat consumption, and most bottled water), a slightly acidic pH of 5.5 is actually and perhaps unexpectedly desirable when it comes to skin.

Sometimes balanced skin takes a little fine-tuning to get just right which is one reason why dermatologists recommend using toners after cleansing to restore pH. In its healthiest state, the acid mantle is “a film of amino/lactic acids and oils protecting skin from environmental factors (bacteria, pollutants) that contribute to premature aging and irritation.” (I plucked that awesome description right off Into The Gloss.)

The telltale signs of overly acidic skin are redness, breakouts, and irritation. Signs of it being overly alkaline—which describes anything over a pH of 7—show up as dryness and the development of wrinkles and possibly eczema. That’s why harsh soaps that leave skin squeaky clean will dry you out over time because their pH hovers at about a 9, which is way too alkaline. (Don’t worry though. Fan fave Osmia Organics face soaps and the brand new Skin Owl Beauty Bars use oils and other ingredients to offset the inherent alkalinity of a soap-based product.)

Here are four others that promise never to dismantle your mantle.

Blissoma Free, $39

My kids love this gel because it’s an easy no-fuss cleanser that keeps their skin free from breakouts—no exaggeration. When blemishes started appearing on their faces, I handed them this bottle and within a couple of days, their skin looked good as new. Clear skin in one bottle and no complicated and expensive OTC potions?! That’s pretty darn awesome.

I love it for removing makeup easily. It does so gently with 11 power-packed ingredients that can even be used around the sensitive eye area. Soapbark creates a light foaming action for those of you who prefer a more traditional sudsing cleanser. It also contains yerba matte with 196 active compounds which is more than green tea, in case you were wondering. Plus, Blissoma’s founder shares her eye-opening take on why cleansing is the most important step you can do for your skin.

At $39, this well-priced option has been a repeat purchase, and I have shared it with my sister’s teenaged daughter who’s hooked on it too.

Kahina Giving Beauty Cleanser, $56

Kahina’s signature organic argan oil joins white willowbark and papaya extracts in a creamy gel cleanser that is gentle enough to use around the eyes and washes off easily. A double cleanse may be necessary when removing makeup, but the neroli and blue tansy scent make it oh-so-delightful to use. In a sea of half-full beauty bottles that surround me daily, I’ve surprisingly finished this cleanser as well as the next two very quickly which is a good indication of how much I enjoyed each of them.

YULI Halcyon Cleanser, $52

The first time I used this cleanser, I thought “meh, what’s so special?” But after a while, my skin started showing signs of calming down and looking less confused. I chose to use it in the mornings and found it worked better for me then, though it can be used morning and night. I just didn’t love it as a makeup remover.

This is no simple cleanser but one YULI refers to as a chiral bioactive gel emulsion. Umm…and that means what exactly? This company uses hardcore science to produce its revolutionary formulas starting from cleanser and working up to serums. Halcyon is “adaptogenically engineered to work in stasis with individual skin needs to provide the optimum cleansing and nourishment.” With stellar ingredients like green tea leaf, red algae, colloidal peptides, hydrolized fruit enzymes, and zeolite, let’s just say that it’s very good for skin, and my own face proves it.

I ran out of this cleanser a while ago and have missed it ever since, but can’t justify repurchasing it until I empty a few others. However, it’s high on my wishlist for sure.

Josh Rosebrook Moisturizing Cleanser, $50

Known for his meticulous attention to ingredients that rival a herbal apothecary, Josh Rosebrook once again creates a high performance blend that’s plant-based and super effective. This creamy gel cleanser infuses skin with phytonutrient-rich sea minerals, neutralizes free radicals with antioxidants hawthorne berry, grape seed, and green tea, moisturizes with omegas 3, 6, and 9, and wards off inflammation with Calendula, Slippery Elm, St Johns Wort. Seriously. So good.

Note: Similar to Halcyon and Kahina’s cleansers, I did find that removing makeup with an oil step first worked better than washing with these cleansers alone. But it has been a while since I’ve used them, so I’d have to try them again with makeup removal in mind to see how effective they are and how many times I’d need to repeat the face wash for makeup to come off entirely.

The cleansing cream

Kypris Cleanser Concentrate, $64

This is luxury cleansing at its best. Only a pearl size amount is needed to cover the entire face and massage away the day—including stubborn dirt and makeup—better than I would have expected from such a non-irritating cream. Moringa, wildcrafted Prickly Pear, and probiotics are some of the key ingredients in a blend that offers exactly the right amount of slip to glide over skin seamlessly. But it is the clean rinsing that surprised me the most from the tiny sample sizes that I am testing out. That’s due to the gentle emulsifiers in it and the total absence of a waxy feel that’s sometimes prevalent in a cream cleanser which makes this concentrated cleanser a snap to wipe off.

So far, it has been very thorough at makeup removal. Initial results after a few nights of use are total thumbs up.

The emulsifying cleansers

Sometimes you want the oil cleanse without the hassle of removing it with a washcloth a few times. I get it. So do I. There’s nothing quite a facial massage to stimulate the skin and help puffiness and toxins drain too. It’s those times that I reach for the emulsifying oil cleansers. Normally oil doesn’t mix with water, but by adding an emulsifying agent, it converts the oils into a milky white consistency when combined with water that rinses off like a dream. Formula Botanica posted an awesome run-through of different emulsifiers, if you’d like to dig deeper on the topic.

There will never be an equivalent to cult classic ED4OLO’s hit Vitamin B Cleanser. With one pump, you get a whiff of a tropical island getaway—think: piña colada colliding with Carmen Miranda’s hat—and the fun doesn’t stop there. This destination-inducing oil is rich enough to give your cleansing massage extra slip, yet when it comes in contact with water, it emulsifies easily and slides right off along with the stuff you don’t want on your skin.

Maya Chia The Great Cleanse Supercritical Cleansing Oil, $38

If you love a thinner oil that isn’t quite as viscous as OLO, then Maya Chia’s Cleanser is the one for you. Once massaged over the face, this skin-calming cleanser uses the powers of the brand’s signature supercritical chia seeds and other oils to sweep away dirt and makeup, plus the delicate scent soothes the senses.

Jordan Samuel Plié Cleanser, $24

This super convenient tube (pics + more deets in this post) dispenses a gel that slips over skin like an oil and quickly melts into a milky emulsion when it meets water, leaving skin refreshed and clean in its wake. Jordan Samuel’s Plié was originally tested on the heavily made up faces of performance artists to remove all traces of stage makeup without leaving skin dry or taut. This stuff works and feels dreamy gliding on. Sometimes my skin feels a little tight after washing with this cleanser, so even though it’s designed for most skin types, if you tend to have dry skin, try it first, if possible. However, I do love it and keep a tube in my shower for easy access.

Magic happens when skin-favorite honey marries macadamia nut oil and kokum butter in this polyamorous, non-greasy balm that rinses completely clean. Really. There’s no residue to wipe off later, which is the goal here. It’s a new purchase for me so I’m still testing out long term performance, but I love the way it exfoliates with natural enzymes and anti-bacterial honey to detoxify pores without creating micro-tears from abrasive ingredients. Moss Skincare is designed with adult acne in mind so you won’t suffer clogged pores after use, but simply nourished skin. So far, I’m loving it.

Two staple cleansers

I didn’t feel right about ending this post without mentioning two of my all-time favorite cleansers that have been repeat buys for years: Cecilia Wong’s Vitamin C Cleanser, $38, that smells like a juicy orange grove in a medley of tangerine, alfalfa, borage, parsley and aloe, and Om Aroma (soon to be Savor Beauty) Pearl Cleansing Cream, $52, that contains little bits of champagne grapeseeds to exfoliate skin while washing. I love them both because in a pinch they work to remove makeup better than most cleansers, yet they’re supremely forgiving on the skin and never leave me feeling dry or uncomfortable. These are always in my stash and my go-to’s on lazy nights.

So, if you ask me what do I use? All of the above. Of course! I believe in rotating products as needed and variety is the “balm” of my existence. 😉

I was just looking at cleansers on the Integrity Botanicals website. I think I’d like to try the Moss. I like that it exfoliates, cleanses and washes clean. I love me an oil cleanse, but I want to pare down my products.

Oh I totally hear you, Annette. I’ve got to seriously Kon Marie my stash! Moss does do all that plus leaves my skin feeling really soft. My skin feels smooth and looks brighter after use. Plus, can we just say honey?! I want to bathe in that stuff it works so well. XO

Great list! I love the OLO but it’s not vegan unfortunately so I’ve been looking for a vegan replacement. I was thinking about Maya Chia but I hadn’t heard it emulsified! Thank you so much for making this list.

You’re very welcome, Erika. Yes, the Maya Chia cleanser does emulsify and is much more lightweight than OLO. If you want an emulsifying cleanser that rinses clean, that’s a great one. I used a prototype of the Vered Organic Botanicals cleanser but from what I hear, the actual product does rinse clean. The one I tested before it launched didn’t. It’s worth checking out too. 🙂

I reached out to Annie of Skinowl and she told me the soap bars are at a pH of 8-9… I love Skinowl, but imo that won’t be good for skin in the long term. Planning to purchase anyway because I can use it on my body instead (hello backne) and I love Annie, and want to support her!

Oooh! Thanks for the correction on SkinOwl. I just received them but haven’t had a chance to test them out or I would have mentioned them. The truth is, I’m not a huge fan of bar soaps unless in the shower anyway but who knows? Maybe hers could change my mind. Osmia Organics’ soaps are terrific but I don’t know the pH. I simply know they don’t leave my skin dry. XO

Denise, I got the deets from Annie, founder of SkinOwl, and here’s what she said about the soaps:

PH is between an 8 and 9 for each bar. ​
​The skin does not feel dry at all when cleansing with them. Because of the Bentonite Clay in the Tomato Bae, skin MIGHT feel a bit more “clean” but so far, there have been no reports of that astringent tight finish. Most face soaps are made with Coconut Oil, which although buzzy in the media, can be drying and comedogenic.​ It’s also highly allergenic and is a major reason most people steer clear from green beauty products. These bars are all coconut oil free for that reason. You’re going to see olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, and castor oil in its place — and in ratios that will leave the skin quenched, but not filmy or congested. Plus, these are “plastic free” cleansers. No plastic bottle or pump. I challenge people to use these bars in place of their daily cleanser for a week and watch what happens. I have been using the Charcoal everything (lathering the bar when I need a cleanser + using it bar to face for an all over exfoliation) and I haven’t looked back This has been the feedback for so many other people too. It’s very very exciting. One more thing to note, we are a brand with self-care at the root of it. There is something about a bar that feels more hands on, more intentional, more aromatic and special vs. “pump, rinse and go.” Cleansing kick starts your regimen – it’s the first product you put your hands on after removing makeup. It should feel as delicious as it looks 🙂
​

After years of experimenting with cleansers and consulting estheticians and facialists, I’ve come to the conclusion that cleansers and make-up removers should be clearly categorized as two different product types. I know many swear by cleansing oils but my facialist showed me all the stuff it wasn’t getting because the molecules were too big to actually penetrate and remove things that were non-oil soluble which is why “cleansers” are still needed. Korean beauty by default has make-up removing with micellar waters, oils, or balms as the first step followed by a cleanser-cleanser.

For myself I prefer to use deMamiel cleansing balm as a make-up remover followed by Yuli Halcyon which really is the best cleanser-cleanser I’ve found.

Karla, that’s probably the most brilliant advice I’ve heard in a while. You’re absolutely right that there are makeup removers and there are cleansers. I’ve just recently discovered 3 miscellar waters that are clean as far as ingredients and that’s what I’ve been using to take off makeup. That or toner + oil on a cotton round which works way better than oil or water alone. Thanks for enlightening me! Xo

I hope she loves the Blissoma cleanser, Kara! My niece is using it and just repurchased it too. For makeup, check out 14e Cosmetics http://www.14ecosmetics.com/about/. You can order samples to try different shades. It comes as a tinted foundation which is sheer or as a full coverage foundation and it has SPF. For concealing blemishes, I like Dr. Hauschka’s tinted cover stick that you can pick up at Whole Foods or on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ecYI3E. Or these options http://bit.ly/2eeB4WJ (All work well.) For powder blush: NU Evolution or any of the ones here http://bit.ly/2e6X0j1. Let me know if you need other recommendations. 🙂

Excellent selections. It took some learning lessons at a personal cost to learn that each persons skin works differently. I had read so much from the green beauty community about how effective oil cleansing was and how other forms of cleanser were almost discounted as everyone based cleansing efficacy off of removing make-up and keeping skin moisturized. Many many breakouts later, I paid a visit to Dr. Perricone in New York to figure out the problem. It was here I learned that oil cleansers are mainly for post-menopause when skin gradually becomes more alkaline in pH and becomes less efficient at holding moisture in. During this time, you don’t want anything to be going out. However before this time, oil cleansing is not going to cut it. I’ve been adding in cleansers like One Love Organics Foaming Cleanser and Yuli Halcyon (when I want to feel fancy) and it has made all the difference.

FIND HUB POSTS BY CATEGORY

Join The Hub

Yes! I can't wait to get my hands on Sarita's exclusive, never-been-revealed before list of product swaps + latest blog posts (and YES, it's totally weird to talk about myself in third person. What the bleep?)